The history and genealogies of ancient Windsor, Connecticut, Vol. I, Part 72

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Hartford, Conn., Press of the Case, Lockwood & Brainard company
Number of Pages: 1038

USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Windsor > The history and genealogies of ancient Windsor, Connecticut, Vol. I > Part 72

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612

HISTORY OF ANCIENT WINDSOR.

Rufus Crane, 64.

Wareham Crane, 65.

Jonathan Clark. Daniel Chapin, 54.

Aaron Crane.

Aaron Frost, 70.

Wife of Hezekiah Crane, 83.

Aaron Frost, Jr.

Wife of Josiah Blodget.

Alexander Morton, 63.

Wife of Aaron Crane.

Daniel Osborn, 82.

Wife of Elisha Crane, 94.

Nathan Pelton, 75.

Thomas Potwine, 67.

Solomon Payne.

Wife of Oliver Clark, 70. Miss Mary Eaton, 61. Mrs. Hannah Eggleston, wife of Dea. E., SS. Mrs. Rachel Potwine, 86.

Mrs. Hannah Bartlett, widow of Jonathan B., 94. Wife of Seth Stowell, 59.

Society Fund.

The first mention of any fund for the support of the gospel ministry in this parish, appears to be the following resolution passed by the soci- ety Oct. 1, 1813, a sum left by Capt. Samuel Stiles :

" Voted, That the society committee be directed to receive the sum of one thousand dollars given to this society by the last will of Capt. Samuel Stiles, deceased, and dis- pose of the same according to the tenor of said instrument "

Year by year, after this, we find the interest of this fund used in part for the payment of the minister's salary - at first as an addition to the regular salary on areonnt of the high price to which the necessaries of life had risen, and thus it was continued until 1820.

The next addition to the fund appears to have been received from the State, and is called the State Fund -the record concerning it was madle at a society's meeting held the 6th day of October. 1818, as fol- lows:

" l'oted, That the State Fund received at Hartford in December last, by the society committee, and interest amounting to one hundred and seventy-seven dollars, be put at interest and remain as a fund for the support of the Gospel ministry in this society dur- ing the pleasure of this society."

At an adjourned meeting held on 2 Jan., 1827. we find the first notice of the Bartlett Fund :

" Told. To accept of the donation given by Mr. Samuel Bartlett, of one thousand dollars, to the second society in East Windsor, under its restrictions."

The following extract from the will of Mr. Bartlett will show the nature of the donation and the restrictions above referred to :

"And wishing to perpetuate a regular Gospel ministry. I will that my executor pay as a donation which I now make to the second ecclesiastical society in East. Wind- sor to which I belong, the sum of one thousand dollars, under the following restrictions,

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613

NORTH ( SCANTIC ) PARISH.

viz. . That this donation shall be kept at annual interest until principal and interest shall amount to four thousand dollars, and when the whole sum shall amount to the aforesaid sum of four thousand dollars, the interest arising thereon shall be applied annually towards paying the minister's salary in the society, leaving the principal of four thousand dollars entire with the following conditions being complied with :

"Ist. That said society keep and maintain a decent meeting-house in which to perform public worship.

"2nd. The said meeting-house to be the sole and entire property of said society.

"Brd. That said society shall not at any time be destitute of an ordained minister more than two years, which minister shall be a learned man of true orthodox principles according to the sense in which our forefathers maintained the same.

" Ith. They shall not pay any of the interest arising on this donation to hire a minister of different principles, - but if at any future period of time shall neglect or re- fuse to comply with the above conditions and restrictions, then and in that case said donation shall be forfeited by said society to my executor or his heirs, to sue for and recover the said donation to his or their use "

This fund reached the amount specified in the will of Mr. Bartlett (four thousand dollars ), in 1849, since when its income has been appropriated for the purpose to which it was consecrated by the devisor.

In Oct., 1845, a permanent lease of the parsonage lot was made for a term of 999 years, from April, 1845, for $1,470.93, the interest on which was annually thereafter paid to Rev. Mr. Bartlett, after whose death, and in Oct., 1851, this fund was applied towards the liquidation of the society's indebtedness in securing their parsonage land and Imild- ing the parsonage.

In 1868, an organ was introduced into the church, and the building painted. In 1869. there was a mission-school connected with the church. In 1878, the Conference House was improved.

Religions Statistics. (For Dr. Dwight's account of this parish and vicinity see his Travels, i. 279-283.) Members, 1833, 286 ; 1850, 150 ; 1882, 147. Revivals, 1780, a considerable one : 1808, 19: 1809, 11: 1817. 96; 1818, 11; 1822. 15; 1827, 53: 1882, 77; 1838, 12: 1855, 50; 1861. 15: 1874, 17; 1876, 12.

CHAPTER HI1.

THE DIVISION OF ANCIENT WINDSOR AND INCORPORATION OF EAST WINDSOR.

176 =.

W E have now arrived at a point, in our history, of some consider- able interest, viz. : the incorporation of that part of Windsor, lying east of the Connectiont River, as a distinet town. by the name of EAST WINDSOR.

The gradual increase of population in the cast-side settlements of Windsor developed the necessity and awakened an urgent and steadily increasing demand for such a division of the ancient limits as should better accommodate the circumstances and promote the interests of their inhabitants. Those, who, even in these days of railroads, good turnpikes, and easy carriages, find the breadth of the noble Connecticut a bar to their visiting their relatives on the opposite side oftener than oner a year - if indeed as often - can readily understand that, in those early days of rough roads, sparse settlements, and horseback riding, it was a serious matter for their ancestors (tough and hearty as they are sup- posed to have been) to be obliged to travel from six to twelve miles, and eross a river, in order to attend town meetings, or transaet any business with the town officers. The only wonder is that they bore it so long and so patiently as they did.

The subject seems to have been first publicly agitated at a town meeting on the 30th of January, 1748/9, but was not acted upon. For- innately, the river itself constituted so natural a line of separation between the towns, that there could be no occasion for disputes abont boundaries ; but there was an inumense amount of conservatism in the community, and the matter moved not again until July, 1753, when it was voted that they would divide the town of Windsor into two distinct towns, "as Comeetient River runs." At a meeting on February 11, 1756, the same vote was passed, and a committee appointed to confer with the assembly about the matter. In 1759, the same subject came before the town meeting, and William Wolcott, Samuel Eno, and Poletiah Mills were appointed agents to apply to the assembly. Then the project slept for eight years, until, 7th December, 1767, Erastus Wolcott and Josiah Bissell were appointed a committee for the same purpose, and their

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FIRST DIVISION OF THE OLD TOWN.

efforts were, at last, crowned with success. At a town meeting on the 3d Monday in March, 1768, the details were agreed upon, as follows : that the town should be divided as the river runs : that Windsor should keep all the records and half the money which might remain in the treasury after all town debts were paid; and support ten of the town poor ( who were named), and have the free use of the stone quarry (Snake Ilill) on the east side: while the cast-side folks were to take care of eight of the town poor.

Finally, the colony records show that :

" At a General Assembly of the Governor and Company of the Colony of Conecti- cut holden at Hartford on the second Thursday of May, A. D. 1768,

"On the memorial of the inhabitants of the town of Windsor, showing to this Assembly that the memorialists, at their legal town meeting in December last, agreed to divide the town, and praying that the part of the town on the west side of Competi cut River be and remain the town of Windsor, with ancient privileges of said town ; and that the part of said town that is on the east side of said river be made and consti- tuted a town ; and that their common stock, money, and poor be divided, etc., accord- ing to their agreement at their publick meeting on the third Monday of April. 1768. as per memorial on file,

" It is enacted by the Governor, Council, and Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, that that part of said town that is on the cast side of the Connecticut River be, and they are hereby, made, erected, and constituted within the limits and bounds thereof a distinct town, with all the liberties, privileges, and immunities that other towns by law have and do enjoy, and that said new erected anl constituted town be called and known by the name of East Windsor."

And thus, " Windsor, east of the Connecticut River," including the present towns of East and South Windsor, and Ellington (now in Tol- land County), was dudy set apart and incorporated as the town of

EAST WINDSOR.

The first town meeting held in East Windsor was on 6th of July. 1768, when Erastus Wolcott was chosen Moderator and Aaron Bissell Town Clerk and Treasurer.

Thus, it will be seen, that (one hundred and thirty-three years from the date of the original settlement of Windsor: and one hundred and twenty from that of John Bissell's pioneer lodgment on the east side of the Great River: and ten years after the death of their first pastor, Rev. Mr. Edwards: during whose ministry of sixty-three years, four ecclesias- tical parishes had been organized within the town's limits, east of the river) the new town - yielding to the inevitable logie of events - dropped from the arms of the old town, as naturally as the ripened fruit drops from the parent bough.

The new township was of large proportions ; upon the north it was bounded by Enfield and Somers ; its eastern line was irregular, stretch- ing back in some places from ten to twelve miles eastward from the

616

HISTORY OF ANCIENT WINDSOR.

river: Hartford ( which then included East Hartford and Manchester) bounded it on the south, while the river formed its western boundary -- the length of the township, from Enfield to Hartford lines, being nearly ten miles.

East Windsor's civil and military history, prior to 1768, is neces- sarily incorporated with that of Windsor, in our preceding chapters : hut the separate histories of its several ecclesiastical parishes has been - for the sake of unity presented in the following chapters.

Extracts from Newspapers. HARTFORD, Feb. 27th, 1767.

One night last week, a panther having killed nine sheep in a yard at Windsor, the owner of the sheep, one Mr. Phelps, the next morning, followed the panther by his track into a thicket about half a mile from his house, and shot him. He was brought to this town, and the bounty of five pounds allowed by law was paid for his head. - Vor Lon. don Giwatt, No. 172.

From the Connecticut Courant, dated Harford. August 10, 1767.

" Last Tuesday two transient persons were taken up at Windsor, for committing. each of them, two thefts, and received sixteen lashes on each of their backs; eight for each offence. The next day they were committed to Gaol in this Town, to take their trial at the Superior Court next month, for breaking open and robbing a house at Windsor."

From the Connecticut Courant, dated Hartford. September, 17.

" Last week. David Campbell and Alexander Pettigrew, were indicted before the Superior Court, sitting in this Town, for breaking open and robbing the house of Mr. biel Abbot, of Windsor. of two watches, to which Indictment they both plead guilty, and were sentenced each of them to receive 15 stripes, to have their right cars ent off. and to be branded with a capital letter B on their foreheads ; which punishment was inflicted on them last Friday. Pettigrew bled so much from the amputation of his car, that his life was in danger.

From the Cornertient Courant, No. 19, dated August 22. 17.

"On Saturday, the 13th inst., the following melancholy accident happened in Windsor, viz .: Four young women whose names were Thrall, who had been at work abroad in the afternoon, after they had completed their labor, agreed to divert them- selves in the water, in a small river at that place. Accordingly they pulled off their stocking and shoes, and joining hands, immediately went into the river ; but not being acquainted with the depth of the water, and the bottom being very uneven, the young woman that was foremost fell into a deep place, which she did not discover till it was too late to save herself, and pulled two of her unhappy companions after her, by which means they were all unfortunately drowned ; and the other very narrowly escaped sharing the same fate. Two of the above young women were sisters, one of which was about 21, the other about 19 years of age. The other was a near relation. Their bodies were soon after taken up, and the next day decently interred The Revel Mr. Russell preached a sermon suitable to the occasion.

"A few days after, one Henry Chapman of the same place, accidently fell from a beam in a barn, upon a cart that stood upon the floor, and split his head, and died instantly. He was about 40 years of age."

617

EXTRACTS FROM NEWSPAPERS, 1768.

Parson Iliusdale's (North) Church Records contains the following note of these deaths, "Ang. 13, 1768, Mary and Elizabeth, daughters of David Thrall, and Jerusha, daughter of Charles Thrall, were all, at once, unhappily drowned in Poquonock River, as they went in for their diver- sion " ; and, " no longer after than August 17, Mr. Henry Chapman, in the dusk of the evening, climbing a scaffold in a barn, fell and received a wound in his head, of which, in a few hours, he died. How hard God calls to a hardened people ! "

Tradition relates that Mr. Chapman, at the time of this accident. was at work for a neighbor on the north side of the Rivulet, his own residence being on the south side. That afternoon, his wife sent a little daughter up to Hoyt's Meadow, to look after or drive home the cows. The child went, but shortly returned, crying violently and appearing greatly frightened and agitated. On being questioned as to the cause. she affirmed that on reaching the pasture where the cows were, she had seen her father standing on the stump of a tree, and covered with blood.

In a few minutes after, word was brought to the family, of the sud- den accident by which the husband and father had lost his life. It was undoubtedly one of those cases of premonition which sometimes precede coming events, but which all our philosophy fails to explain.

" We hear from Poquonock, a parish in the western part of Windsor, that about half an acre of the surface of the ground there has lately sunk or fallen to a consider- able depth below the common surface or level ; not unlike to what is frequently occasioned by earthquakes, though attended with no eruptions, either of water or fire ; for which event no natural canse has as yet been assigned. And it is more unaccount- able, as the ground that is sunk was not contiguous to or bordering upon any precipice or declivity, nor adjacent to any collection of water that shoukl occasion it to sink." - Conn. JJournal, June 22. 1770.

VOL. I. - 78

CHAPTER IV. WAPPING PARISH (THIRD CHURCH OF EAST WINDSOR). 1

1717-1890.

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T TRADITION, at least, accords to one THOMAS BISSELL, the honor of being, as early as 1700-1705, the first settler of that portion of Windsor known as Wapping-a name probably borrowed, though we know not why, from that of a street in London, on the Thames. ITis house is said to have stood a little south of the road from East Windsor Hill, and west of Podunk River, until about 1840, when it was taken down. It was probably the house occupied, at the last, by Mr. Elijah Blodget. We find, in the society records, frequent allusions to a place helow Podunk River, called " Bissell's Farms," which may, perhaps, refer to Wapping ; and, in an old account-book kept by Samuel Rockwell, who in those days was "a mighty hunter," are notes of venison sold to Thomas Bissell who lived, as early as 1705, in the N.W. corner of Wap- ping. Tradition also records that, shortly after coming here, Bissell had a very severe fight with a large and powerful Indian, who in a drunken bravado, boasted of having killed ninety-nine white men and insisted on making up the hundred, by killing him. Foiled in his attempt to burst in through a half-opened door, by Bissell's dog, he was finally overpowered by the dog's master and his sanguinary intentions defeated.

Deacon Francis Vinton, however, in an interesting paper prepared for the South Windsor Grange, introduces to us another claimant for prior, or at least contemporaneons, settlement in Wapping. He says, " as far as I have been able to learn, from tradition, one JOSEPH STEADMAN made the first settlement in Wapping, in the south part, on the land now of I. C. Hayes, near the old crossing a little cast or south- east of his ice pond. A small quince tree was pointed out to me, in 1836, as indicating nearly the site of his house ; he got his water from a spring a little cast of the fence between the pasture and mowing-lot, near the driveway. The building of his house was closely watched by a

1 We are mainly indebted, for information concerning this parish, to a Mx, account written by Rev. Marvin Root, in 1840, and deposited in the archives of the Conn. Hist. Society : also, lo Ms, of Dr. Elijah F. Reed.

619

WAPPING PARISH, EAST WINDSOR.

few Indians who then lived in the forest east, on the land now owned by Clayton Grant, or his brother; and he was, at times, annoyed by the prowlings of these Indians around his house. Once, while on horseback looking for his cows, he was fired upon by them, the bullet passing through his clothes and grazing his back." The Windsor Land Records show certain two-rod roads between the Hartford line and Steadman's corner, which seem to confirm the traditional account of his settlement in that neighborhood.

NATHANIEL DRAKE afterwards built a house N. W. of Mr. Watson Ilayes' present place. BENAJAH STARKWEATHER IIst have been an early settler in Wapping, as his son Thomas received a deed of land here from Roger Wolcott in 1780, and buried a son in 1795. Capt. NOAH BARBER, the ancestor of the Wapping Barbers, came from Windsor and the house which he builded was only pulled down some two years ago, by Mr. F. Gillet. Mr. BARZILLA GREEN died in 1795, aged 70; his wife died the same year, aged 71. JOSEPH STEADMAN married, in 1709, Sarah Taylor, and died in 1762, aged 83. Mr. H. C. Hayes is their lineal descendant. JOHN GRANT died in 1803, aged 80. DANIEL ROCKWELL died 1789, his wife, 1785.

The Bissells, Rockwells, Skinners, Sadds, Stoughtons, Smiths, and Grants were among the first to locate in Wapping-and Gibbs, Fitch, Dorchester, Uppard, Wheaton, Armstrong, Lathrop, Adkins, Hun, Dor- mant, Stocking, and Gay figure largely among the earlier names.

The first settlers were, of course, included within the limits of the Second Society (or Windsor, east of the Connecticut River), and attended worship in Mr. Edwards's congregation. But, the roads to " the Street " were exceedingly bad ; and they seem to have petitioned, at a very early day, for " winter privileges " -- i. e., for liberty to hire a minis- ter during six months of the year. This reasonable request was, for many years, refused. In 1761, however, the Assembly made them a winter parish, and the Second Society voted to allow them their propor- tion of rates, which amounted to £6, 12s. A number of documents relative to Wapping are preserved in the State Archives ; and among the records of the Second Society we find the following document (attested, as a true copy. by Rev. Mr. Perry, Ang. 14, 1761) :

" As the Second Society of Windsor were sundry years about fixing a place for building a meeting-house, so the Inhabitants of Woping, in st society at the same time. were endeavoring to be made into a Distinct Society upon y" account of which there were two Parties in the Street of st Society: for the People of the North Part said Wop- ing must not be a Society. But the Meeting-House must be set at his Honour's [ Roger Wolcott's ?] to accomodate Woping, and the People of the South Part say'd Woping must be a Society and therefore ye meeting house must be set at Nuberry's to accomo- date them, and in particular Will Wolcott. Esq., one of the members of the (hb of Christ in st Society, who was always Spoakman for the South Part Say'd Woping must be Society, & therefore the meeting house must be set at Nuberries and the s' Will hath

620

HISTORY OF ANCIENT WINDSOR.

declared from time to time to some of the People of Woping he had nothing against Woping being off, But would be glad if they were off then and yt he would not appear against ym nor oppose Wopings getting off at the Assembly nor in any shape at all, and in January last past he told Chapman Grant when he knew Woping were going to ye Assembly that he w4 not oppose him but would do him all the service he could as an evidence all which may be proved. Notwithstanding all these Declarations & Solemn Promises the sd Wi" did appear at the Assembly at their Session in May last at Hartford and opposed the agent of Woping and pleaded that the Memorial of Woping that was then npon Trial should not be Granted for that they were not big enough on the List and for that the People of Woping did live but two miles & quarter from the strent, also pleaded for the North Society by wich conduet of the sa Will, Stephen Steadman, one of the members of the same Chh of Christ, being so offended, charges him of being guilty of a scandalous breach of the ninth commandment," etc.

From all of which it doth appear that with the Wolcott influence against them, the Wappingites had a pretty hard fight to obtain even the scanty ecclesiastical privileges granted them by the Assembly.

At this time, according to their petition, dated March, 1761 (State Archives), they numbered 200 souls, and had 32 houses, while their proportion of the Second (East Windsor) Society list was £2,000. They complain that, on settling the meeting-house on the Street, no regard was had to them ; that they are obliged to go to it four miles and a half " through the wilderness."'

'The following document curiously illustrates the disintegrating influence of church quarrels upon the body-politie :-

To the Honble General Assembly now sitting at Hartford : -

We the subscribers being in East Windsor in a place called Wappon Soldiers & those y' are allowed by Law to vote for Commission officers, beg leave to Inform your Honors that the Inhabitants of Wapon some years ago, were made a Winter Parish, and a Litent's military Company was made there, for their Ease & Convenience. That the said military company, then with great unanimity made choice of m' Sam" Smith (who had served as Sergt many years before to good satisfaction) Lieutenant of said Company, m' Edward Chapman Grant, Ens". and the affairs of sd Company were Carried on in Peace and Good Order; till an Ecclesiastical Controversy arose & threw them into Parties. And the Ens" Mr. Grant made very much the Head of one of them, which of late seemed to abate, and we the Subscribers hop'd had happily Subsided, but on the first monday of may Inst. when we were Called out to Chuse a Capt'. our Numbers being Encreased to a Captain's Company we found, as we apprehend, the old Party Spirit still remained. for when we Come to Count the Votes, we found Ens" Grant Con- Irary to ye General Expectation had the majority of votes, which we apprehend was oceasioned by ye Influence of an Ecclesiastical Controversy, and the unfair Practice of those that were of that Party, and not for ye Good of the Company, or agreable to ye minds of ye major Part of the voters : and we beg leave to Observe to your Honors that many of ye voters not apprehending there wo'd be any Difficulty in the Choice of Capt. were not present, and many that were present & voted, were not lawfull voters. And yet there were but one vote in the Majority for Ens" Grant. The No. of votes for Mr. Grant were 34, and those not for him 33. A bare, or Small Majority this. There was one Rouse in particular a Stranger of no Interest, lately come into Town and married there and never belonged to s' Company and tho living out of the Limits thereof - put in a vote, and was Counted in favour of m' Grant -and Green, a young Soldier when he was putting in a vote for L' Smith, [was asked by] by an Elder Soldier in favour of

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621

WAPPING PARISH, EAST WINDSOR.

Their first meeting-house was built under the title of a school, about 1765, and stood on land, afterwards of Capt. Samuel Hall, whose west barn occupied a part of the old church site - and was three miles from the Second Society's meeting-house, on " the Street." "The Street " always claimed that their society extended within half a mile of the Wapping meeting-house, i. e., three miles from the river, or to the end of the " 3-mile lots."

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The history and genealogies of ancient Windsor, Connecticut, Vol. I, Part 72

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909 Publication date: 1891 Publisher: Hartford, Conn., Press of the Case, Lockwood & Brainard company Number of Pages: 1038

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909
Publication date: 1891
Publisher: Hartford, Conn., Press of the Case, Lockwood & Brainard company
Number of Pages: 1038